Goodwin Sands: a dangerous place, “devouring” ships. Photo

Goodwin Sands is located in the middle of the English channel in a narrow Strait of Dover, near one of the busiest shipping channels in the world. Since the first was a shipwreck on the Goodwin Sands in 1298, more than 2,000 ships have met their end. Dozens of the ship’s remains still lie beneath the water of the Strait.

Goodwin Sands reach approximately 15 kilometers long and 5 kilometers wide, but because of the tides and currents is constantly formed shallow water. Usually the sand completely flooded at a depth of 8 — 15 meters, but at low tide, a sandbar formed approximately one-tenth of sand appears above the water surface. At this time Goodwin Sands represent the greatest danger to ships.

As a rule, the ships got aground during difficult weather conditions and was wrecked. Any survivors found themselves on the sandy strip, trying to attract the attention of passing ships. If aid does not arrive within a few hours, tide and sand turned into quicksand, absorbing the remains of ships and all survivors.

The biggest human losses happened during the Great Storm of 1703, when 13 ships of war and 40 merchant vessels were caught in a trap, killing at the same 2,168 lives. One of the lost that night the ships were in the service of the British armed forces and were discovered by local divers in 1979. Other famous shipwrecks include the ship of East India company Admiral Gardner which sunk in January 1809. He was carrying a cargo of iron, weapons, anchors, and 48 tons of coins. The wreck was discovered in 1984, and then was able to recover about a million coins. The area of the wreck of the Admiral Gardner is now a protected area with a 300-metre exclusion zone around it.